In a crumbling, futuristic Las Vegas where the wealthy choose genetic modification for their children, seventeen-year-old Sienna Preston doesn’t fit in. As the only “normal” girl, everyone around her is a little too pretty, a little too smart, and a little too perfect. But when her father dies suddenly, her world changes in an instant.

With little skills to help provide for her family, Sienna clings to the two things that come easily—lying and stealing. But not all thief-for-hire assignments go as planned. When a covert exchange of a stolen computer chip is intercepted, she becomes entangled with a corrupt government official who uses her thieving past as leverage, her mother as collateral, and the genetically modified poster boy she’s falling for as bait.

In order to rescue her mother, there may only be one option—joining forces with the Fringe, an extremist group, and their young leader who’s too hot to be bad. Problem is, these revolutionaries aren’t what they seem, and the secrets they’re hiding could be more dangerous than Sienna is prepared for. In the end, she must be willing to risk everything to save the one thing that matters most.

Catalyst is a thrilling adventure of danger, romance, intrigue, and deception.

Once I’ve made it past the gun-toting guard in the courtyard—with the aid of a few well-thrown, barrel-rattling rocks—I sprint soundlessly until I reach the keyless entry, the exact door I saw in the hologram. As I dial Chaz, I insert a tiny earbud into my right ear and wait until his face pops up on the screen.

“I’m here,” I say, trying to catch my breath. “What do you have for me?”

The clack, clack, clack of his fingers rapidly typing on the keyboard is his only response. I glance around.

What if there’s another guard I’m not aware of?

“Got it,” he declares in triumph.

A lock clicks, and the door falls open. A good thing considering there isn’t a handle on this side.

“Thanks, Chaz. You’re the best.”

I ease through and leave a small card in the doorjamb to keep it from completely closing. Before I take a step, I eye my surroundings.

“Do you see any lasers?” Chaz asks.

“Shh. I need to concentrate.”

I don’t see any lasers, but that’s what makes them so dangerous. You don’t see them. Not until it’s too late.

I pull a container of baby powder from my backpack and dump some into my hand. When I fling it out onto the floor in front of me, I see them then.

Intersecting lines of lasers positioned every foot or so.

I exhale in a slow rush. I can do this. I can beat this.

And as long as I don’t think about what these lasers can do to my skin—to my body—I can make it past.

About the Author:

Kristin Smith writes young adult contemporary and science fiction novels with enough kissing to make her mother blush. She’s a beach lover and a Just Dance guru who enjoys belting out karaoke (from the comfort of her own home). As a self-professed chocoholic, Kristin is a firm believer that if a dessert doesn’t have chocolate in it, then it’s not considered a dessert. (Except for crème brûlée. She can always make an exception for crème brûlée.) Kristin currently resides in the middle-of-nowhere North Carolina with her husband and five incredibly loud but extremely cute boys. To read more about her obsession with YA novels or her addiction to scarves, you can visit her at kristinsmithbooks.com.

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